Special Guest Speakers and Celebrity Supporters to Join Sea Shepherd at Demonstrations at Japanese Embassies and Consulates in the U.S. and Overseas on Feb. 13th

Original art concept by Cassie RandallOn Friday February 13, 2015, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians and supporters around the world will join together for the second annual “World Love for Dolphins Day,” to hold peaceful demonstrations against Taiji, Japan’s brutal capture and slaughter of dolphins. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, thousands of people will bring the world’s love and reverence for dolphins to Japan’s doorstep at Japanese embassies and consulates across the United States and overseas.

Sea Shepherd will be joined by speakers and celebrity supporters, as these special guests help the organization to shine a bright, international spotlight on Taiji’s infamous killing cove.

Actress Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles on the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, will take part in the demonstration at the Japanese consulate in Los Angeles. Doherty not only demonstrated as part of “World Love for Dolphins Day” last year, she has taken her love of dolphins to the frontlines, joining Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians on the ground in Taiji in Sept. 2014 to bear witness to and document the brutal dolphin hunt firsthand. She live streamed to the world as a pod of Risso’s dolphins was ruthlessly slaughtered, and from inside Taiji Whale Museum, where the albino bottlenose calf “Shoujo” remains captive since being captured from her mother’s side in January 2014 while swimming among a “superpod” of more than 250 dolphins.

Other celebrities in attendance at the LA demonstration will include Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons TV show, noted philanthropist and sponsor of the Sea Shepherd vessel named in his honor. Simon traveled to Taiji last year with a group of friends including actresses Alexandra Paul of Baywatch and Missy Hargraves of Law & Order: LA to witness the horrors of Taiji first-hand and help shine a spotlight on this ongoing atrocity. Also attending the demonstration will be actor and Sea Shepherd supporter Eric Balfour, star of the hit television series Haven, and actor Ross McCall, star of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and star of the TV show, Crash. The celebrity supporters will be joined by Sea Shepherd representatives, who will speak at the event.

Sea Shepherd Senior Cove Guardian Campaign Leader, Melissa Sehgal will also be in attendance to stand alongside Sea Shepherd supporters at the “World Love for Dolphins” Day demonstration in Los Angeles. Sehgal, who was denied entry to Japan this year to document the brutal drive hunt for what would have been her fifth season in Taiji, will attend in solidarity with the Cove Guardians currently on the ground in Japan.

“On ‘World Love for Dolphins Day,’ the voices of thousands of people around the world will join with Sea Shepherd and our Cove Guardians as we stand up and say, ‘Dolphins do not belong to Japan,’” said Sehgal.

** Please see below the current list of official, confirmed “World Love for Dolphins Day” events in the United States and overseas. Please check back for additional locations.

U.S. DEMONSTRATIONS:

Demonstrations begin outside the following locations at 12:00pm ET/PT and end at 1:00pm ET/PT unless otherwise noted below. Please check the times for your demo location:

Demonstrations will be held outside the following locations. Please check the times for your demo location:

Please note: Any locations outside of USA territory are to be considered "unofficial” Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) events organized by local volunteers and will NOT involve Sea Shepherd Global or other Sea Shepherd entities outside of SSCS/SS USA

Rio de Janeiro (Feb 12. 15pm-17pm BRST) Praia do Flamengo, 200 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil* Because Feb 13 is carnival in Rio and the Japanese Consulate will be closed, this event is on Feb 12

For a staggering six months of each year, from September 1 until March, entire families of dolphins and small whales are driven into Taiji’s killing cove. Once netted within the shallow waters of the cove, their fate is sealed and the members of these doomed, frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales for captivity, those without visible scars. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike inserted into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family—others may die as they are dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once living and free cetaceans are processed into meat for human consumption. These inhumane killings would not be allowed in any slaughterhouse in the world. Japan refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these self-aware, beloved and imperiled animals.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society first brought the cove to the world’s attention by capturing and releasing now-iconic footage and imagery of the brutal hunts and slaughters in 2003, during which the cove turned a blood-red. Later the Academy Award-winning film The Cove again shone a spotlight on the hunts, bringing worldwide attention to the killings. Many individuals thought the film succeeded in bringing an end to the hunts, but that was not the case. So in 2010, Sea Shepherd established Operation Infinite Patience and our volunteer Cove Guardians took up positions alongside the cove to document, report and live stream these atrocities in the hope of capturing attention to bring pressure to bear to stop these barbaric acts. Sea Shepherd is the only organization to have a team on the ground in Taiji each day throughout the entire six-month killing season, and the only group who live streams every capture and every kill for the world to see. Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians will not stop shining a light on this atrocity until the slaughter ends.